A 30-year-old tribal woman, Mini, was fatally trampled by a wild elephant in the Meppadi forest range within the South Wayanad Forest Division on Thursday, March 28. Mini was on her way to gather honey in the morning when the elephant attacked her. Her husband, Suresh, also sustained serious injuries during the incident.
Mini and Suresh are from the Parappanpara Kattunayakka tribal settlement located within the Mupainad grama panchayat limits in Wayanad district. The incident occurred near their settlement, approximately 10 km from Vaduvanchal town in the district, situated on the Wayanad-Malappuram border.
Reacting to the incident, BJP criticised Wayanad MP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, as well as Kerala's government, for their failure to address the rising incidents of human-wildlife conflict in Wayanad. “The human-wildlife conflict in Kerala, particularly in Wayanad, is a recurring nightmare. The State Govt led by @pinarayivijayan and the MP @RahulGandhi have failed to address this crisis. "Is Rahul only interested in votes? The wild elephants came to the town more often than Rahul Gandhi came to Wayanad. He seems indifferent to human lives, enjoying his outstation visits without truly engaging with the plight of the people. It's time for Rahul Gandhi to answer for his negligence", said BJP Kerala president K Surendran.